From the floor of the Republican National Convention, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman interviews George Engelbach, who previously served one term in the Missouri House of Representatives alongside Todd Akin, the congressman who is now running against Claire McCaskill for the Senate. Akin ignited a firestorm by saying it’s rare for women to become pregnant from rape, because "If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways...

Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman caught up with New York Rep. Peter King at the Republican National Convention and asked him about the Republican platform on abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. King says, "[The] main purpose of government is to protect innocent life, no matter where that life is." He says the doctor who performs the abortion should be punished, not the mother. [includes rush transcript]

Mitt Romney’s embrace of the Republican Party’s call for a federal ban on abortion stands in stark contrast to his record as Massachusetts governor, one of his many shifting stances over the years in his bid for the party’s nomination. Romney’s wife, Ann Romney — the featured speaker at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night — has also shifted her public views. We discuss the move from...

Republicans have officially nominated Mitt Romney for president after nearly 15 months of campaigning. On Tuesday night, speakers, including Mitt Romney’s wife Ann, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and tea party favorite Ted Cruz, addressed the Republican National Convention crowd of delegates and their supporters for several hours. Many referenced the theme of the evening, "We Built It," with testimonials about small business...

Former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson is running for president with the newly formed Justice Party. Although hailing from a solidly red state, Anderson has been known as one of the most progressive mayors of any major U.S. city in recent years. During his two mayoral terms from 2000 to 2008, Anderson was an outspoken champion of LGBT rights, environmental sustainability and the antiwar movement in opposition to the Iraq War. But Anderson...

As the Republican National Convention opened on Tuesday in Tampa, thousands of journalists were there to cover the story. At the same time, secretive meetings were being held behind closed doors across the city that could determine who wins the election in November. According to the Huffington Post, at one such meeting on Tuesday, the Karl Rove-founded Crossroads groups, representatives of the billionaires Charles and David Koch, and the U.S....

Controversy erupted on the convention floor when a dispute broke out over whether to seat the delegates of presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. Part of Maine’s delegation stormed off the floor in protest of a decision to strip away half of Paul’s delegates. Supportive members of other delegations rose to their feet and hollered their objections, angered by new rules that they say they will make it harder for grassroots...

One issue vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan will likely avoid in his acceptance speech tonight is his changing stance on the U.S. embargo on Cuba. For years, Ryan was a vocal critic of the five-decade-old embargo, saying in 2002: "If we think engagement works well with China, well, it ought to work well with Cuba. ... The embargo doesn’t work. It is a failed policy." Ryan’s view at the time put him in stark contrast...

Florida Senator Marco Rubio is known as one of the Republican Party’s rising Latino stars. The 41-year-old tea party favorite was a former top pick to be Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential running mate in this year’s election. Now he is slated to deliver a key speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday, introducing Romney just before he accepts the Republican Party nomination for president. We’re joined by...

The Republican National Convention in Tampa is officially beginning today after Monday’s session was postponed due to Tropical Storm Isaac. But the storm did not stop the partying. Dozens of events have already been held across Tampa — mostly paid for by lobbyists and corporations taking advantage of loopholes. We’re joined by Keenan Steiner, staff writer at the Sunlight Foundation, a D.C.-based organization that promotes...